The appeal of that mindset is understandable. Much of Gen Z entered adulthood amid pandemic isolation, political polarization, climate anxiety, and epidemic‑level burnout. In contrast, the late-’90s and early-2000s pop culture era—glittery, naive, and commercially loud—feels like an antidote to endless doom-scrolling.
The trouble for Gen Z—and for the businesses catering to them—is that turning back the clock to the year 2000 can also mean turning back the clock to what appear to be some distinctly unenlightened slang, if not outdated beliefs.
The Reddit thread “askwomenover30” wondered in 2024 what was going on, with the user “frankstaturtle” sounding a plaintive note: “It’s wild that we were told the next generations would also become more progressive, but then we got … this.”
